Conventional gas turbine engines include a turbine assembly that has a plurality of turbine blades attached about a circumference of a turbine rotor. Each of the turbine blades is spaced a distance apart from adjacent turbine blades to accommodate movement and expansion during operation. Each blade includes a root that attaches to the rotor, a platform, and an airfoil that extends radially outwardly from the platform.
Hot gases flowing over the platform are prevented from leaking between adjacent turbine blades by a seal as components below the platform are generally not designed to operate for extended durations at the elevated temperatures of the hot gases. In addition to the seal, a damper is typically installed between adjacent turbine blades to dissipate potentially damaging vibrations.
Traditionally, the dampers are centered on the centerline of the blade-to blade gap between adjacent platforms. While these dampers have provided reduced vibrations, turbine engine manufacturers continue to seek further improvements to damper performance to reduce vibratory stresses even further without increasing weight.